Age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma are two of the leading causes of blindness in the United States and across the world. Present glaucoma therapies generally require polypharmacy, where subjects are often prescribed several topical agents that must be applied to the eye with varying frequencies, in some cases up to 3 or 4 times a day. These dosing regimens are often difficult for subjects to consistently follow, and many individuals progress to needing surgical treatments such as intraocular shunts or trabeculectomies, which have significant attendant complications.
Subjects having macular degeneration are often required to have monthly intravitreal injections. Such injections are painful and may lead to retinal detachment, endophthalmitis, and other complications. Furthermore, these injections are generally performed only by retinal surgeons, a small fraction of the ophthalmic community, producing a bottleneck in eye care delivery and increased expense. Other chronic eye diseases requiring indefinite injections include diabetic retinopathy, uveitis, and retinal vascular occlusions.
These drawings merely depict exemplary embodiments of the present invention and they are, therefore, not to be considered limiting of its scope. It will be readily appreciated that the components of the present invention, as generally described and illustrated in the figures herein, could be arranged, sized, and designed in a wide variety of different configurations.